Balloondoggle

I like the idea of bringing them back as a purely sentimental thing. I can't see a business or practical reason to bring them back, given the expenses involved. The lot just isn't big enough, and there is ample handicap parking for the mobility impaired. I'd prefer to see them build a garage to put the same spaces in a smaller footprint and use the remaining area for more rides.

That's a pretty reasonable solution. It doesn't even have to be anything fancy, maybe a bike lock through the handles and a luggage lock on the zipper. That's more than enough to discourage the opportunistic snatch. There are also many ways to set an alarm on it if you can do some simple electronics work.

To the best of their abilities, yes. I don't think the OP is knocking the personnel or their training. I think the point here is that someone can get trapped under a raft of tubes and in the conditions, if you can't get up, the lifeguards will have a tough time getting to you. They won't be skipping across the pool using peoples' heads like stepping stones to pull you up by the scruff of your neck like a cartoon hero.

To be fair, the current state of Tower Gardens isn't any better. Too true. With the posters out of the way, you can see just how dilapidated the area has become.

It was exciting when they first announced the purchase, but what I saw of the result was disappointing. Keep in mind though, that when Paramount bought it I hadn't been there in close to 10 years and was only an occasional visitor before that. They trashed my childhood memories when I wasn't looking! Since Paramount bought it, I only went 2 or 3 times and was really put off by the themes they chose - and especially the televisions everywhere. This year is our first with passes. I agree with you that the park has lost the themed atmosphere. I think that may be why my family keeps gravitating to the Coney Mall; it seems to be the only section outside of Planet Snoopy that still has a coherent tone. I do miss the Rivertown area, not much of it left. Action Zone still seems to be "in transition" from Safari to .....something....

I'm not real impressed with SC either, for some of the same reasons you are disappointed. On Action River, the "interactive" part just plain sucks. I don't like it that I can be blasted mercilessly by some punk who thinks he's working a pressurized neti pot and doing me a favor cleaning my sinuses. You are dead on when you say that there needs to be a place to just relax in the water, and The Beach had that with the Lazy Miami. Action River is not it. The entrance to Action River is a study in chaos and if someone gets hurt at SC, it will be there. I've only been there once, for the Gold Pass preview, and that was enough to convince me that I don't want to be there when it is truly crowded. The lines for the slides, the tubes in the wave pools, lack of security..... I just didn't enjoy it. I'm a little surprised I'm saying this, but I liked The Beach better. Locker prices, as mentioned, are exorbitant as well. I already leave most of my stuff in the car when we are in the dry-park, and have established with the kids that when we go to KI, we will visit only one side or the other. This way we don't have to stash wet towels in the car or a locker to be secure while we hit the coasters, or clothes while we swim. To be fair though, I should go again and give it another chance. Some of this may have smoothed out as the season has progressed, and I'd like to try the surfing simulator.

We'd still have tv's everywhere screaming the latest Paramount promotional trailers for movies no one will see until they can be streamed. Nickelodeon would still be themed for shows and characters the target audience has never heard of - Rugrats anyone? Eifel Tower Gardens would still be littered with movie posters and a rusty old Garthmobile (or was it Mirthmobile?) and we'd still have to deal with Star Dreck characters wandering around looking like red shirts that missed the last transporter beam. I hated KI under paramount. It seemed that the "theme" of the park was simply to promote other Paramount properties.

On the other hand, I'm glad to see Paramount gone. They cluttered up the park too much. My kids are well aquainted with Snoopy from the TV specials and comics and I'd bet many are. Not most, to your point, but many.

It was mentioned on WGRR this morning, also.

If you see a tall guy in sandals, cargo shorts and a hawaiian shirt, say hi! "Classy" is debatable, but I'm covered anyway. My wife experienced one of those on The Racer, and was dressed appropriately - we were there after work. She learned that one particular bra is not to be worn on coasters! My daughter and I saw a girl in line at The Racer who had on shorts over her bikini. Sadly, she had them unbuttoned, unzipped and folded back to show off the very low-cut bikini and - ugh - razor burn. Ride ops said nothing, even though checking restraints had to make it clear that the barn door was wide open. Maybe I could have said something, but then I look like the middle-aged perv checking out the girls. Tough call.

"Unfollow this topic". I'm outta here.

If I had toured with Britney Spears, I sure wouldn't be bragging about it on a professional website.

Too easy to mispronounce... Which is what makes it a good idea!

My son rides in the front car yelling "POWPOWPOW!!!" the whole way. I'm so proud of him! I'm not sure the ride is long enough for much of a soundtrack., but it would be cool to hear some radio chatter between pilots and an explosion. This is awesome! I love the idea of the story connecting two rides, and having the sound effects on the lift hill is really cool. I would fix the carousel and clock as a volunteer if they'd let me. All three of these are the detailed sort of items that give a park its atmosphere and seem to be underrated in the maintenance budget.

Ugh, backwash. That's one thing I've never been able to do, share my food/beverage with my kids. Dunno why, lord knows I've done worse with them, but the thought is nauseating. Good thinking on your part. It never would have occurred to me that we could share out the 20oz cups with a single band. I still haven't used the 4 we got, so now you've just stretched one day to 4 for us. Thanks!

You made me laugh! I'll have to do this one myself next time I'm on it.

Haha, oh yeah, I wanna go there, right now. They actually have................ I don't think you understood what he is saying, he's saying he's surprised you haven't posted here about someone saying it & you over hearing it, the bringing it here. Well then here my good sir a few weeks back actually my family said "Ready for Soak City", then at SC they called everything by the new names (Which I still dont know!) guests say the oddest things. Although I have let up on pestering names... Please just learn the new names and get the heck over Boomerang Bay, things change! I still haven't forgiven them for changing "Cross County Highway" to "Ronald Reagan Highway". Do you know how difficult it is to break that habit and give useful, intelligent directions?

True! If you want effective, but boring, call one of us.

My brain keeps trying to interpret the plane and balloon on the 1978 map as Start Trek's Enterprise! I may be more geek than I thought.

Okay, so why did the Log Flume (sorry, Race For Your Life, Charlie Brown) disappear from the 2000 map only to reappear in 2001? Was it closed that season? Also, thanks for posting these. I had been thinking there was a second wooden coaster right next to the Scooby Doo/Woodstock Express at some point, but now I don't see it on any of the maps. It also turns out that the Keelboat Canal wasn't where I remembered it. This is a good example of how our memories fail us. I love historical maps and you've done a good job collecting them all. Like LongLiveKingsCobra said, it is quite a walk down memory lane and I appreciate the work you've done. EDIT: I really wish they'd bring back The Rotor!

A couple of weeks ago my kids made it off the Dodgems before my wife and I did. We found them a minute later wandering, in tears, hand in hand, around the building because we weren't right behind them at the exit. The normal exit was closed and the kids realized this before we did, so got out sooner than we. We lost our youngest daughter at DisneyWorld in one of the gift shops in 2010. She was 5 and got cut off from us by the crowd as we made our way across the store. She was scared, mom was scared, I was scared, but her then-7yo brother kept his cool and described her to a cast member. She was quickly found and returned to us. It only takes a second to be separated from your child and it doesn't even have to be inattention on the parents' part. And it can be very scary for both parent and child. The key to staying calm though, is to realize that 99 44/100 % of people are going to help a lost kid or, at worst, ignore them. A lost child will not automatically fall prey to every sex offending pedophile in a 20 mile radius, and the odds of injury are similarly low. Teach a kid to stay put as soon as they realize they are lost, and don't go anywhere with someone not in a uniform. When they were younger we gave them notes they could put in their pockets with our names and cell numbers. Many times we have noticed a child that seemed unattended in a public setting. We will stop and watch the child and people around us until it becomes clear that the child is truly lost/separated or we can identify the family members nearby - usually because they are watching us watch their kid! Parents watch out for each other and the world isn't as dangerous as the news makes it seem. Yes, kids get lost and it is scary. No, the parents aren't cold-hearted criminals. No, the kid won't die if he gets 20 feet away from his family.

That's the "What if?" game. My answer was always "We'll deal with it." If they have so little faith in the reliability of the ride, why is anyone allowed on it? In this case, I would say that he has sufficient use of the remainder of his hands that holding to safety equipment would not be a huge issue. Wheelchair users are permitted to transfer to the train, but in the event of an evacuation no one will be able to carry them down. The bottom line in many of these cases is that the fear of liability has made it impossible for anyone to exercise good judgement and common sense in the corporate world.

Ah. I didn't realize it had to be processed. Still, waiting that late in the day doesn't get you full value on the cost.

Yeah, it's not really new. I think it's odd that he has demonstrated the ability to secure the restraints without assistance, yet he's considered ineligible for the ride.

Sorry about the repeat. I haven't drilled down that far in the topics. Nevermind.